


a loaded god complex

by duelistkingdom



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst without a happy ending, Canon Compliant, M/M, Oral Sex, Post-Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions, Smut, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions Compliant, angsty smut, i am telling you up front so you do not yell at me: this is sad, literally there is no happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:07:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27340960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duelistkingdom/pseuds/duelistkingdom
Summary: when seto makes it to the afterlife, he gets everything he could ever possibly want. too bad it doesn't last.
Relationships: Atem/Kaiba Seto, Kaiba Seto/Yami Yuugi, Kaiba Seto/Yami Yuugi | Atem, prideshipping - Relationship
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20





	a loaded god complex

**Author's Note:**

> this isn't going in the 100k collection for one specific reason: i've been working on this for over a month now and just now finished it. and yeah, this is absolutely not a happy ending fic if the tags didn't warn you. this also follows dsod canon.

It was fairly embarrassing to have lost to the Pharaoh yet again after spending so much time trying to see the Pharaoh again. It was even more embarrassing to see the glint in the Pharaoh’s eyes. Bastard. He always had the upper hand in dueling and he was amazed that even though the Pharaoh had never encountered half the monsters in Seto’s current deck, he still had dismantled it with ease. It was even more embarrassing how quickly the Pharaoh had summoned the Gods and how Seto hadn’t seen it coming. He suppose it made sense – this was the Pharaoh at his peak power with all his memories.

He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks as the Pharaoh moved forward at the end of the duel, examining him critically. The duel had been intense, with the very real monsters dealing damage that Seto hadn’t been expecting. He’d been tossed around and the most humiliating part of the ordeal was... he had kind of liked that. The Pharaoh, as always, refused to go easy on opponent who had challenged him. “Have him bathed and taken to my room,” the Pharaoh finally said after a moment. “Make sure his wounds are cleaned and bandaged as well.”

Really, he wasn’t sure what he expected but he didn’t expect that. Two of the Pharaoh’s servants had moved forward to pick Seto up off his knees and half carry him to the bath. He didn’t know what he had been expecting but he wasn’t expecting a private bath. He wished he’d read more on ancient Egyptian culture before he had rushed off to here. He had no idea what he was getting into. He had been surprised to see fairly fluffy towels brought in by other servants and additional change of clothes. He was even more surprised when one of the servants actually began to strip him. “Er, I can do that,” Seto said, the first words he said as his cheeks flushed pink.

The servant did not reply but merely kept at their task. Did they do this for Atem too, Seto wondered. He thought his life back home was pampered but perhaps Atem had him one upped, as per usual. This bath area was decorated in stone, marble, and gold with paintings on the wall. The water in the basin was crystal clear and clearly warmed somehow with blue lotuses floating in the water. There was a scent of jasmine and roses in the air and Seto had to assume it came from the bathwater. In fact, as soon as Seto was stripped, a servant more or less forcefully helped Seto climb into the bathwater.

He couldn’t deny it felt nice to have his shoulders rubbed by the same servant who had stripped him bare, even if it was a little embarrassing. And it was even nicer to have his wounds tended to. He never had once stopped to really process that Atem was royalty, actually. This was his palace. This was how he actually bathed and was tended to. He wondered if Atem was secretly as uncomfortable with it as he was. He suppose the only way to know was to ask.

The servants had scrubbed him clean and one had indeed wrapped his wounds in a white linen before they finally allowed him to rise and instead of toweling himself off, they toweled him off for him. Not once did they allow him to do anything for himself, no matter if he protested he was fine doing something himself. One of them had even muttered something about him being no different than the Pharaoh, though Seto had a feeling he wasn’t supposed to have heard his complaint. As a result, he pretended he did not hear it. Eventually, one had told him to please just let them do their jobs, sir. He decided it best to allow them to complete their tasks after that.

He had been redressed in a simple white linen... skirt, he supposed? It probably wasn’t supposed to be considered a skirt but to his modern eyes, though that was certainly what it seemed like to him. He was given little else in clothing and he felt he would have been more decent completely naked at this point. They had led him to the Pharaoh’s room and Seto struggled to not be in awe of it. The room itself was clearly made for a king, with even more golden accents, even more handcrafted stone work and a balcony just outside. The sunlight filtered in, creating the illusion that the room was entirely made of gold from the way the sun hit the stone. Of course. Seto had never once stopped to consider the king might have an opulent room. Once again, he wondered how much of it Atem was truly comfortable with.

He was then informed that the Pharaoh had said he may do as he please in this room, but he was not to leave this room. While he had always known Atem to be rather bossy, this was a new level he’d taken it to. Then again, he supposed a king would have to be “bossy” in order to be an effective leader. It was too bad he had left his laptop back on the ship or perhaps he might have tried to see if he could get some work done. Then again... what work was there for him to do in ancient Egypt? It suddenly hit him that he was now three thousand years in the past and that Atem fully had the upper hand here. This was Atem’s world and culture and Seto was fully out of his depth.

Even worse, he hated to admit this but... it turned him on a little bit. Never before had he been in a position like this. He’d always said he liked how powerful the Pharaoh was but it was just starting to hit how powerful the Pharaoh must truly be. It wasn’t just winning at duel monsters. It was almost everything about the Pharaoh that was intoxicating. The casual smirk that Atem had upon his face when he had ordered that Seto be bathed, his wounds cleaned, and brought to his room... His _room_. Seto suddenly blushed at the indecent proposal baked into that request.

Was it even a request? Suddenly it hit Seto exactly what the Pharaoh was seeking when he decided that Seto was to be bathed and brought to his room. At no point did the Pharaoh seem to imply a request when he had made the order. For a brief minute, Seto considered the options. One was that he could simply just leave and return back to his ship and attempt a jump back. Another was to tell the Pharaoh no. The third... the third actively thrilled him. He could give in to the Pharaoh’s demands. It was a secret fantasy of his at this point, one he never dared dream would ever actually come true. The simple demand and the desire to give in. It helped that the Pharaoh was just simply so beautiful that it was so easy to imagine how good it might feel to let the Pharaoh take control of him.

After carefully weighing the options, Seto made a very bold choice to stay. In fact, he was now antsy for the Pharaoh’s arrival in his bedroom and eager to receive him. He wished now that he understood how to read the sundial in Atem’s room. He swore it felt like hours before Atem finally arrived in his room, informing the servants he did not wish to be disturbed for the next few hours and stated that everything was to be entrusted to someone named Priest Set.

With that, they were alone. “Am I supposed to kneel before you,” Seto blurted out before he could help himself. Out of all the things he had wanted to ask Atem about life in a royal palace, that was not the first thing he wanted to say.

Atem raised a brow. “If you like,” he remarked as he undid his cape and hung it up. Seto couldn’t help but stare, admiring the shape of his biceps and the way his outfit clung to his back. “I’m not much for formalities. Though... I do think I’d like the way _you_ would look on your knees.”

Seto couldn’t help himself – the next thing he knew, he was on knees before the king. This was clearly what Atem wanted as he responded by smirking, moving forward to run a hand through Seto’s hair. All Seto could focus on was how intense Atem’s grey eyes were. They were cat like as Atem pulled Seto back up to kiss him and for a minute, Seto’s mind went completely blank. Atem’s kiss was more matter of fact. It felt like he was being _claimed_ and Seto couldn’t help but respond back with a desperate edge. He was surprised by how... _minty_ the Pharaoh’s lips tasted. Clean was another way of putting it. He hadn’t expected that.

He wasn’t sure how long the Pharaoh’s mouth was pressed to his, how long the Pharaoh’s tongue had probed his own mouth, how long he was pressed up against him but just as quickly as it happened, he broke the kiss. And Seto couldn’t help himself when he whined, already missing the feeling of the Pharaoh’s lips upon his. He could just tell the Pharaoh was smirking yet again, even with his eyes closed. “Strip,” the Pharaoh commanded and Seto complied.

Seto had never felt more vulnerable in his entire life. Atem wasn’t exactly shy about the way he examined Seto either. The twinkle in Atem’s eyes was familiar... he was challenging Seto. To what, Seto had to admit he had no idea. He’d never been in a position where he didn’t know the game they were playing. Atem might have always won in games but Seto had never once been confused as to the game they were playing. “I think this is slightly unfair,” Seto remarked after a long pause.

“I win,” Atem simply declared in response and it was clearly teasing. Seto was about to protest when Atem began to remove his adornments... and the slow reveal of skin was enough to stop Seto’s thoughts in their tracks. He knew Atem was beautiful but he had been wholly unprepared to see how Atem looked on his own. He’d only ever seen Atem when he was possessing Yugi Muto and while Muto was not unattractive, there was no way Muto could ever stand up to the bronzed man in front of Seto. Atem was an impossible reality. He could see where the ancient belief that the pharaoh was god came from with Atem.

The more clothing Atem removed, the more real this became. Atem absolutely intended to bed him and by staying, Seto has agreed to this. Atem had ordered him onto his knees. And it sharpened in Seto’s mind exactly which position Atem intended to take. There had been no discussion. It was strange to realize the power balance had tipped out of his favor. He was certain if he protested, Atem would be more than willing to discuss where this would go. And yet... he didn’t. He wanted to give Atem this power. Atem wore power well, in Seto’s personal opinion.

And the next thing he knew, his mouth was around Atem’s cock. He couldn’t begin to figure out how this happened, much less the progression of events. Either way, he was enraptured by the taste. Not only that, Atem was making the most delightful noises in response. He wanted to hear more of Atem’s soft little moans, the tiny little “ohs” he made. Atem’s hands had tangled into his hair and he couldn’t help himself: he looked up. Atem’s eyes had slide close and the look of pleasure on Atem’s face was undeniable.

This was expected: Atem had never had much of a poker face. That made it all the more enjoyable as he took more of Atem in his mouth to see the look of surprise on Atem’s face. Atem’s grip on his hair grew tighter and the familiar growl of “Kaiba” came. As per usual, all it did was make Seto want to test him further and push the limits just to see how Atem reacted. The soft groans of approval spurred Seto on, pushing the limits of how far he could take Atem until he hit a point that caused him to gag. He was surprised by Atem’s reaction to grab his hair rougher and thrust upward.

Suddenly Atem was fully in control again and Seto was dazed by shift of power. _It was just like dueling him,_ Seto thought dazedly, well aware of the fact that was probably the least sexy thought he could have right now. It was also all he could think of as a comparison. Atem had taken full control of how much Seto was taking his mouth and how fast the pace was and Seto’s mind had gone blissfully blank. It’d been so long since Seto didn’t have to think about anything. All he focused on was the beautiful Pharaoh right in front of him, currently taking full charge of the situation they were in.

When Atem pulled away, Seto honest to god whimpered. He tried moving back and Atem had the audacity to laugh. “Eager, are we,” Atem remarked and Seto glared at him.

“I don’t have to take your mocking,” Seto remarked, getting ready to get up when Atem suddenly moved them towards the bed. The bed, Seto realized. Vaguely, he realized exactly what Atem was thinking and he hated to admit that excitement grew. He hated that he was so vulnerable and open, with nothing hiding him away. And yet, because it was Atem, he willingly gave in. He’d never allow anyone else to have this level of control of him. It was Atem and Atem, in his experience, had always been considerate and thoughtful and... well, yes, it was more about the thrill of it at this point. The thrill of something that he never thought he’d get the chance to happen.

Atem had him laid on the bed now and he did not ask for Seto to spread his legs. Rather, he spread them for Seto. Seto’s cheeks flushed and Atem was smirking at him. The same smirk whenever he had all the cards he needed to win. Seto claimed so often that he hated that smirk and only here would he admit the truth: it thrilled him. Seeing Atem manage a win out of seemingly nowhere, knocking Seto off his feet... it always was exciting. Nothing excited him more than seeing that stupid fucking smirk all over Atem’s face.

He had reached for something in the table next to him and it took Seto a few minutes to understand that Atem was reaching for some sort of lube. It was a lot slicker looking than most lubes Seto had encountered and if had been anyone else, Seto might have been nervous. If anyone else had Seto on his back, in a way that forced Seto to look straight at them, Seto would’ve left. The intensity in Atem’s steel grey eyes was the reason he didn’t. Seto had no idea that Atem’s eyes in life had been grey. He didn’t know how brown Atem had been in life. His pathetic hologram could’ve never compared to the man in front of him. He’d been foolish to think otherwise.

“Relax” was Atem’s gentle, but firm, order and Seto at this point could bear it no longer. He looked away from Atem’s intense gaze as one of Atem’s fingers lightly grazed along Seto’s opening. “Look at me” was Atem’s next order and Seto couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he covered his face as Atem pressed a finger into him, embarrassed by the low moan that came out of his mouth. Seto still refused to look at Atem and then suddenly, Atem’s other hand pulled Seto’s hands away from his face.

Seto’s hands were now pinned over his head and Seto was put in a position where he had no choice but to look right into Atem’s fierce, determined gaze. The look Atem got when he was focused on something. Oh, right. Atem was focused on _him_. “Breathe,” came the next order and it was in that moment that Seto realized the reason he had gone lightheaded was because he’d forgotten to breathe. Atem’s ministrations were gentle and Seto let out a huff of frustration. His hips rolled down onto Atem’s hand, desperate for more. Oh, he desperate and from the look in Atem’s eyes, he knew exactly what he was doing to him.

 _Bastard_ , Seto thought before he could stop himself. He tested Atem’s pin and found that while it wasn’t exactly digging into his wrists, Atem’s hold on his wrists were certainly firm enough where his hands weren’t going anywhere any time soon. All he could do was grind onto Atem’s hand some more then eventually, Atem slide a second finger in. Seto gasped at the sudden feeling. Once again, Atem’s hand stilled as if to allow him to adjust. It hit him: Atem was trying to be gentle. Seto groaned in exasperation, grinding down hard on Atem’s hand to make a point. And Atem took the hint.

His movements got rougher and a slight smirk appeared on his face as Seto groaned, hips rolling up towards Atem. Atem didn’t waste any time as a third finger slide into Seto with so much more ease than Seto ever thought was possible and Atem’s fingers were seeking something out. Moments later, Atem found it and Seto swore that he saw brand new colors that had never been seen before as his hips jutted up involuntary. It was clear at this point that Seto was an absolute mess. “Just take me already,” Seto said, his demand coming across as more of him begging. And at this point, Seto was willing to beg for it. Atem didn’t even have to ask: Seto crumpled under a simple _look_ that merely suggested it. “Please, please, just... please.”

With that, Atem’s hand moved away and Seto couldn’t help himself: he whined. Couldn’t Atem tell how unfair he was being? Perhaps he did, because suddenly the tip of Atem’s cock was pressing right against Seto’s entrance. Seto felt himself stretching around Atem, groaning as Atem took it slow and careful. Atem took advantage of the way Seto’s lips had parted to capture his lips in a fierce kiss, once again exploring every crevice of Seto’s mouth. Atem’s other hand had moved to grip at Seto’s jaw, holding him in place.

Seto was, in one single word, overwhelmed. Atem had pulled away from the kiss and was looking him right in the eyes and all Seto could focus on was how Atem had completely sheathed himself inside Seto. Seto’s cheeks tinted red and Atem smirked as Seto whimpered underneath him. Atem had Seto in easily one of the most open, vulnerable positions he’d ever been in and if Seto was completely honest with himself... it thrilled him. His hips automatically rolled to Atem’s with a groan, signaling to Atem that Seto was just fine with the position he was in.

Atem’s grip got mean, actually starting to dig into Seto’s wrists as he began to thrust and each thrust was like how he dueled: powerful, confident, and sure of himself. Once again, Seto wondered if he should come up with a better metaphor than dueling. Vaguely, he was aware of the surreal position he was in. He’d long desired this and he never thought he’d ever actually have it. And now as hazy as the rest of the room was to him, Atem was in such sharp definition. Atem was so much better than any fantasy he could have ever had, so much better than that stupid hologram. There was so much passion behind each movement Atem made, the spark of fire in Atem’s steel gaze, so much that it was completely overwhelming.

Only vaguely did he realize there was a spark of a challenge in Atem’s eyes as his hips bucked up hard towards Atem’s. What the challenge was this time, he didn’t know and he didn’t care. For the first time, Seto didn’t care if he lost a challenge from Atem. He had put so much effort into trying to win, to beat Atem that he never realized how good it might be to just... let go. Atem could win all the games in the world for all Seto cared as long as he just kept doing what he was doing. Seto groaned as Atem’s speed picked up, pressing up against Atem the best he could with the way Atem had him pinned down.

He was unable to look away from Atem and it was clear that was what Atem wanted. Seto struggled to remember to breathe, to relax. He was unraveling right in Atem’s hands and finally, he could take it no more. He managed to just barely breathe out, “close,” and Atem smirked as he leaned in, his lips against Seto’s neck before whispering, “I’m not.”

Seto couldn’t help himself: he moaned loud and indecently. Atem was sucking right at Seto’s neck, intent on leaving a noticeable mark. Seto was vaguely aware that his wrists might possibly bruise from how harsh Atem’s grip was and vaguely aware that Atem’s thrusts were just on the edge of painful. Just the right amount of pleasurable. It was like Atem knew exactly how to drive Seto right over the edge and Seto’s back arched right up to Atem. And he realized exactly the game that Atem was playing: Atem wanted Seto to come first.

He wasn’t sure why and he couldn’t even be certain that was the case. After all, he was lost deep in the throes of passion and was teetering on a knife’s edge trying to keep himself from coming before Atem. Perhaps it was a game that Seto was playing alone. He gasped as Atem’s teeth scraped against his collarbone, well aware of each sensation that Atem was personally responsible at this point. It’s just at this point, it felt like Atem had managed to get his hands all over his body. Seto knew what this feeling was: he felt _claimed_.

Just like that, he felt a heat rise up in him and all he could focus on was how good it felt. He groaned out Atem’s title of "Pharaoh" as it was the _only_ thing he could bring himself to say. With that, Atem’s lips were pressed to his and his hands had finally released Seto’s wrists. Seto could now wrap his arms around Atem’s neck, pulling him closer to him. Seto groaned as he noted the feeling of Atem’s release deep inside him, leaning back into the Pharaoh’s bed. It suddenly hit him the weight of everything that just happened and he closed his eyes. Any tension Seto had been carrying was gone. This was a new feeling for Seto.

He wasn’t sure how long the afterglow lasted or how long he and Atem spent just _kissing_. This was nirvana, as far as Seto was concerned. He allowed himself to believe this shining moment could last. Of course it couldn’t. At the end of the day, Seto did not belong in this world. He knew even before coming here that he might not get to stay. But he had hoped that perhaps... still, it was a shock when Atem said, ever gentle, “Your clothes have been taken care of, by the way. I figured you might want to head back in those instead of what we provided.”

Head back? “But I don’t want to go back,” Seto protested and Atem cut him off with a kiss. How was this fair? He’d just gotten exactly what he never knew he wanted from the Pharaoh and now he was being sent _back_? “You just... you can’t just kick me out.”

“I can and I will,” Atem said as he pulled away, getting up. Seto felt numb. “Seto, you don’t belong here and as nice as seeing you as... as nice as _this_ was... it’s far too soon for you to be joining me here in the afterlife. It would be selfish of me to steal you away from your friends and your little brother. I’m sure Mokuba wouldn’t be happy with me if I did.”

Mokuba... it hit Seto like a train. The reminder of the one person he had left behind to chase down the Pharaoh, to duel him one last time. And it turns out it wasn’t even a duel he wanted. This had definitely been a bad idea. Too bad he hadn’t listened to both Mokuba and Yugi, who had told him outright it was a bad idea. In fact, he was half expecting to head home to Mokuba yelling at him about what a bad idea this had been. “So what was this to you, then,” Seto managed to get out. “Just a little bit of fun?”

Atem seemed surprised by the question. “Well, to be honest... it was more because I wanted something... special to remember you,” he said, looking rather awkward and uncomfortable. It was the first time Seto had ever seen Atem look unsure of himself. “I... er, well, you know I’ve always... admired you. And... this admittedly was a little... selfish of me.”

Seto huffed in response. He couldn’t argue for Atem’s selfishness when he’d been rather selfish himself. He hadn’t stopped to think how this must upset Mokuba. His cheeks flushed as he remembered the look in Yugi’s eyes when he’d demanded that Yugi wear the Millennium Puzzle and channel the Pharaoh again. Both of them had such pain in their eyes. Atem was holding up a mirror to Seto and he didn’t like what he was seeing. It wasn’t like he was willing to admit it, though. “No,” Seto sighed. “I did stay, after all. You wouldn’t have done anything if I didn’t let you.”

Atem frowned. “I suppose that much is true,” he said. “But I still should have told you up front that you won’t be able to stay. Would you have still done any of this if I had told you that?”

“Yeah,” Seto said, willing to give that much to Atem. Everything else... Seto would keep close to his chest. Atem didn’t need to know the full extent of his actions. Either way, Seto had long suspected that he would not be able to stay in this alternate dimension. He had a home he was supposed to go back to... a little brother that still needed help. He had been profoundly selfish to dump everything on Mokuba. He wondered how time passed here vaguely. Would he be able to press his luck for a few more nights? “Maybe I would’ve asked if you’d allow me to stay just a few more nights... What would be wrong with that?”

Seto had moved in closer to Atem to recapture Atem’s lips in another kiss. For a moment, Atem melted and allowed himself to get lost in it. For a moment, Atem allowed himself to forget that Seto really couldn’t stay with him. Then Atem broke the kiss, shaking his head. “You can’t stay,” he said shakily, well aware it was very unfair. “You have a life to return to. You can’t just give it up for me. I... it would be deeply selfish of me to let you do that.”

Selfishness had never sounded so good in Seto’s opinion. He had spent so long trying to resurrect the Pharaoh and now Atem was right here, right in his arms. And yet... yet Seto knew Atem was right. Seto had to let the Pharaoh go. Just like Yugi told him. Still, there was one last thing he wanted to do before he left. “Fine,” he said, rather curtly. “But... can I meet my past life, at least? I’ve always wanted to meet him.”

To his great surprise, Atem grinned bright. “Oh yeah, my cousin,” he said as he got up and Seto couldn’t help but check Atem out. If he had to let Atem go, he could at least remember how great Atem looked without any clothes on. He could keep his memories of Atem at the very least. “You’re going to just love Priest Set.”

“That’s the guy you said to leave in charge while we,” Seto trailed off, not exactly sure what to refer to what just happened between them. “So you trust him?”

“I left him in charge after I died,” Atem said, frowning. “I do know he killed his own father for me.”

Sounds exactly like something Seto himself would do, really. Well, Seto didn’t even need a reason to kill his own father. Mostly, he did that because he was sick of Gozaburo in general. “I see,” he said as Atem got dressed. “So am I going to get my own clothes back or should I put back on what you gave me?”

Atem grinned as he pulled on his own clothes. “For now? You can wear what you were given,” he said with a smirk. “I really like how you looked in it.”

Seto glared at him. “Oh, so I’m eye candy,” Seto asked as he stood up to put the gifted clothes back on. “Glad to know exactly where I stand.”

To this, Atem said nothing. In fact, Atem seemed rather pensive and lost in his thoughts. Finally, Atem spoke and the words were like a knife to Seto’s heart. “I wish you could stay,” he admitted, allowing himself to be semi selfish and open before his longtime rival. “I just... as I said. It would be selfish and wrong of me to let you stay. And the longer you stay, the harder it would be to do the right thing, Kaiba.”

The right thing. Of course Atem would be preoccupied with doing the right thing. If there was one thing Atem could be counted on to do, it was the right thing. If anything else, it made Seto a little sick how Atem was always seeking to do the right thing. “So you haven’t changed in the slightest thing,” Seto said, a little more angrily than he intended. “Don’t you ever do anything just because you want to? Did you even want to leave?”

The question seemed to surprise Atem. It was like... no. Did Atem not once consider his own desires when he left? Come to think of it... Yugi said it wasn’t up to him to bring Atem back. Was it not up to Atem either? Seto never thought to ask. And yet... “Of course I wanted to stay,” Atem said in a soft whisper, looking around as if he feared someone might overhear him. “But... it’s complicated. It’s so much more complicated than you can ever imagine. I can’t just... I belong here, Kaiba. I died 3,000 years ago. I don’t get a second shot at being human again.”

“What do you mean,” Seto demanded, not understanding, of course. As far as he was concerned, if Atem didn’t want to be dead... then he shouldn’t be dead. “If you want to stay, then why don’t you simply tell fate to fuck off? You proved already you have the power to leave if you want.”

“I... Kaiba... I don’t know how to begin to explain,” Atem said, frowning. “It’s not that I can just leave whenever I want. There has to be reason. A distress call, I suppose. For the most part, I’m not supposed to interfere anymore. I’ve done my role to protect the... universe, I suppose.”

“How could you possibly know you’ve done all to protect the universe,” Seto half exploded, angry. “You can’t possibly know the future before it happens! I’ve proven that, haven’t I? When Isis said she knew the future and I proved it can be changed. The future can change so you should be there!”

“I just do,” Atem said impatiently. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, anyway.”

Seto let out a noise of frustration. As far as he was concerned, Atem wasn’t making any _sense_. He knew Atem. Atem was powerful. Atem could do things that he couldn’t believe. But he didn’t believe that Atem could just know what would happen in the future. “The incident with Diva proved you don’t know everything,” Seto countered, desperate to make Atem see reason. If he could not stay here with Atem, then he would simply drag Atem back with him. “You cannot possibly know something like that won’t happened again.”

“What happened with Diva was a fluke. An incident that never should have happened and wouldn’t have happened if Shada didn’t like to keep secrets,” Atem said. “Shada... Shada’s complicated. He’s not loyal to me but he’s not loyal to anyone. He goes around causing chaos and sometimes I have to clean up his messes. However... what happened with Diva is not going to repeat itself.”

“You can’t possibly know that!”

“Kaiba, I’m a literal god,” Atem finally snapped, a glare in his silver eyes and Seto was certain he saw flecks of gold in his iris. And for once, all of Seto’s counter arguments faltered before he burst into laughter. There was no way Atem was serious, right? He knew Atem and Atem was no god... or did he? A sinking realization hit as he realized no, he didn’t truly know Atem. Not the Atem that was in front of him, anyway. Did he ever really know Atem? “And yes, I hate that fate chose this for me when I never wanted this kind of power. Not when it means being separated from my friends, from Yugi, from...” He stopped, shaking his head. “Kaiba... you have to go.”

Seto was ready to argue, ready to argue that Atem can’t possibly be a God if he couldn’t stop his own death. But he didn’t have a choice in the matter. He thought he could get just a few more hours out of being with Atem. He thought he’d have more time, at least get a goodbye kiss after finally tasting Atem’s lips and discovering how sweet they are. Unfortunately, he was back in the same ship he arrived in with little say in the matter and the next thing he knew, he was slammed right back to reality. His eyes flicked open and he was staring up into the cold, blue toned reality of his world.

Bitterly, he realized what Atem had done rather than argue with him. Well played, Seto thought as the pod opened and an alert set off. Mokuba appeared on the screen, looking... something in Seto’s heart dropped. Mokuba looked _older_ than when he left.

_How long was he gone?_


End file.
